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By Hannah Meisel
* The mood is downright jovial as I write this from the Senate press box. The appropriations bill, HB109, passed with 56 yes votes, 2 no votes and one non-voting member. The budget implementation bill (HB HB3342) passed with 54 yeas, 2 nays and 2 present votes (one of which happened to be Senate President Cullerton…but I’m told it’s got to do with conflicts of interest from his law practice).
Senate also approved HB4290, which addresses back pay owed to state workers, 58-0.
Seriously incredible margins here. It really speaks to the trust built during the budget process (and don’t discount the impact that the Grand Bargain talks made last year, despite it falling apart after Gov. Rauner apparently threw a wrench into the process). I’ll leave you with this…
Just overheard @kmcconnaughay33 (R-St. Charles) say it's her first time voting for a budget. Actually true of a lot of Republicans. https://t.co/27fDY8mbAP
— Hannah Meisel (@hannahmeisel) May 31, 2018
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:05 pm
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Previous Post: Equal Rights Amendment passes with help from Durkin
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Overwhelming veto-proof majority.
Illinois won tonight.
I’m grateful to the Senate, it’s budgeteers, it’s Leaders, bipartisan leadership, and each member, including Bivins and McCarter. Illinois has a future after November, no matter the outcomes, because this Senate showed, it showed me, at least… the people of this state, the future of this state can be above… politics.
I’m very grateful. Thank you all.
Oswego Willy.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:12 pm
Nice feeling to see a budget pass during regular session. Been a long time.
I can’t help but thank the GOP members who took it upon themselves to break the impasse last year. It was a courageous action that cost most their political career. That action laid the groundwork to make it easier to reach an agreement this year.
Comment by Norseman Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:13 pm
==I’m grateful to the Senate, it’s budgeteers, it’s Leaders, bipartisan leadership, and each member==
And, it was all made possible by last year’s tax hike. The leadership shown last summer is now paying dividends.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:15 pm
See, it can be done.
Comment by walker Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:17 pm
Excellent and a testament to putting the people of the state first, and not crippling negotiations by inserting nonbudget items that have no chance of passing the way the governor wants them.
Congrats and thank you to all in both parties. Imagine what we can do when we work well together on big things.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:19 pm
Just found the rest of the pension “savings” in one news story. The 281M is from a voluntary buyot plan for people to switch from Tier 1 3% compounded AAI to a Tier 2 1.5% non-compounded AAI.
We’ve dissected this before. Most people will be better off keeping the Tier 1 3%.
Comment by RNUG Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:27 pm
This feels like a democracy all of a sudden. Well done, ladies and gentlemen.
Comment by Gianni Bigud Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:29 pm
Some day people will realize just how good a job John Cullerton does as Senate President.
Comment by Tom Horn Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:30 pm
Was this budget evidence based,data driven or politically motivated? Sorry for the snark(?), but other than a band aid short term feel good moment, what does this do for my great grandkids?
Comment by BlueDogDem Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:39 pm
OW. I wish I shared your optimism. The two party system. Which is all we have, has beaten me down to a level I never thought I would get to.
Comment by BlueDogDem Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 9:50 pm
For better or worse (probably better) the ILGA was able to work together to get something done. Maybe in the near future they can find a long term solution to our budget problems after possibly clearing partisan issues.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 10:11 pm
Who had May 31 in the pool?
Comment by Norseman Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 11:24 pm
Regarding the back pay - do the payroll systems for the five state agencies affected have the payroll files from 2011 needed to correctly compute the back pay for each of the affected employees?
Remember, that within each agency some people received partial back pay in varying amounts, based on their job’s level of federal funding?
Comment by Me Again Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 11:32 pm
Regarding the back pay - do the payroll systems for the five state agencies affected have the payroll files from 2011 needed to correctly compute the back pay for each of the affected employees?
Do these agencies still have competent payroll programmers, now that DoIT has absorbed all of these payroll functions?
Don’t forget that within each of these agencies, some people have already received partial back pay in varying amounts, based on their job’s level of federal funding.
Comment by Me Again Wednesday, May 30, 18 @ 11:36 pm
Great news, nice to see both sides working together.
Comment by Barrington Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 12:53 am
Congratulations to the Illinois Senate. The legislative body put the good of the state ahead of politics, proving cooperation can happen. Very well done. Thank you for the vote on HB 4290.
Comment by Retired Educator Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 5:12 am
If not mistaken, first budget GOP has voted for en masse since FY 12. A couple House approp minority spokespersons may have voted for FY 13, to honor personal commitments IIR.
Comment by John Deere Green Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 7:06 am
So when and how does the other shoe drop?
Where’s the trick?
What’s the catch?
Three years of perfidy
and we have this?
I just can’t believe it.
Comment by Honeybear Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 7:11 am
Found where the other $281M in pension “savings” is coming from. They are counting on paying current employees to switch from the Tier 1 compounded 3% AAI to the Tier 2 non-compounded 1.5% AAI.
For most Tier 1 employees, that would not be a good move.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 8:01 am
An election looming, a once hopeful Republican Gubernatorial Star, now muddied by his rigid and unbending dictatorship negatively affected millions of Illinoisans.
None want to offend a now tired and irritable voting block.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 8:17 am
It is a lot easier to pass a bipartisan budget when Democrats and a handful of Republicans have already done the heavy lifting on Revenue, when you force Bruce Rauner to sit on the sidelines, and the GOP realizes his ship is sinking fast.
The bipartisan votes on gun control and ERA are far more compelling. The Illinois Republican Party is starting to look more like the old party of Beth Coulson.
Comment by Thomas Paine Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 8:51 am
Thank you to all who worked on the budget and the Senators voting in favor.
Comment by Earnest Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 8:55 am
I think this is Day 1 of the movement over the next couple of years that will show how broken and corroded Illinois is and how little Bruce Rauner had to do with that decay.
Comment by Chris Widger Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 9:02 am
Not popping a cork or lighting a cigar because its Its about time they did the right thing. Unfortunately the economic damage from past 3 years has been done and will still frame Illinois struggles in the coming years …Good things can happen when the adults take charge.
Comment by NorthsideNoMore Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 9:21 am
=how little Bruce Rauner had to do with that decay=
Except for that bill backlog, willful desire not to fund social services, higher ed and lack of interest in anything resembling governing our state I’m right there with you.
If anything what this shows is that for all of the turmoil inflicted by Rauner on the state for the last 3 years we have absolutely nothing positive to show for it.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 9:24 am
“”I think this is Day 1 of the movement over the next couple of years that will show how broken and corroded Illinois is”"
Day 1? This has been your same message for four years now.
Your “movement” has only made Illinois even farther from recovery than it was five years ago. That’s just sad.
Comment by walker Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 9:40 am
==I think this is Day 1 of the movement over the next couple of years that will show how broken and corroded Illinois is and how little Bruce Rauner had to do with that decay.==
I don’t think showing that we can only get a budget when Rauner stays out of it really proves his innocence.
Comment by Arsenal Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 9:58 am
===I think this is Day 1 of the movement over the next couple of years that will show how broken and corroded Illinois is and how little Bruce Rauner had to do with that decay.===
(Sigh)
“I think this is Day 1 of the movement over the next couple of years that will show how Bruce and Diana Rauner invested $100 million to try to break and corrode Illinois and how little Bruce Rauner had to do with bipartisanship or leadership these past 3 plus years.”
Better.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 10:00 am
RNUG–
Do you know the funding source of the pension buyout payments? Is the payment made from the pension fund? Deducted from that year’s employer contribution? Or funded through a new line item?
Comment by Brick Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 10:10 am
== Do you know the funding source of the pension buyout payments ==
As reported elsewhere, new $1B borrowing with bonds. Guess the Gov lives bonds now that his (deliberate?) mismanagement has driven the rates sky high.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, May 31, 18 @ 11:04 am